Here are two 1950s patterns I’ve knitted up this year: the droplet bolero and the bias-knit sweater.
The bolero was knitted using a re-issued version of the original pattern which had been graded into multiple sizes: normally I would just have knitted the single original size, but here I actually had the luxury of taking it down a size to fit me better.

The droplet pattern is basically a variation on a standard bobble pattern: you cast on five stitches at once at the base of the bobble, then gradually decrease the extras over several rows as you go up to produce a teardrop shape rather than a round one. The front and back have a zigzag droplet yoke – the sleeves have a straight strip of droplets all the way to the cuff.

The last rose of summer

The bias-knit sweater was knitted from a scan of the original pattern: see The Vintage Pattern Files. I didn’t alter the pattern, but I did change the colour scheme quite a few times! If I’d had more wool, I shouldn’t have used quite so many colours… but in fact, the end result was actually an improvement.Click on pictures for larger images

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